${{mainImageAlt || (productInfo._source && productInfo._source.name) || ''}}$

Child’s Explorer Vest Embroidery Project

By Pat Williams on October 01, 2013

PROJECT DETAILS

SKILL LEVEL

Intermediate

TIME REQUIRED

07:00

Description

A great way to inspire adventure in your child!

Project Preview Video

Materials

Child's Vest pattern with multiple pockets pattern used in sample is Explorer Vest from Olive + S Little Things To Sew or other commercially available child's vest pattern with multiple pockets

1 1/2 of medium weight woven fabric for outer vest

1 yard of medium weight cotton fabric for lining

1/2 yard of cotton fabric for binding

Coordinating thread

3 buttons or snaps

Embroidery designs

Keyboard lettering software

Embroidery hoops 4" x 4" and 5" x 7"

Sewing machine

Small compass

Small carabiner

Print out of map from the internet

Small magnifying glass

Tear away stabilizer

Embroidery threads as called for in the color chart for the designs

Frixion GelPen (ink disappears when ironed) or other fabric marker

Designs used in this project

https://www.embroiderydesigns.com/productdetails/Great-Notions/1/18595

https://www.embroiderydesigns.com/productdetails/Great-Notions/1/98643

https://www.embroiderydesigns.com/productdetails/Great-Notions/1/77086

https://www.embroiderydesigns.com/productdetails/Great-Notions/1/71515

Final Product: What You Will Create

Step 1:

Prewash all fabrics.

Step 2:

Print out the color chart and full sized pictures of the four embroidery designs

Step 3:

As the pockets on this garment are necessarily small we are going to embroider on the pockets before they are cut out. To do this:

Cut the actual full size design image from your print outs and place over the pattern pieces for the pockets.

Place your hoops over the various pattern pieces too, to see how much larger piece of fabric you will need to cut to embroider the design and ensure you will have enough fabric to cut out the pocket piece after the embroidery.

Placing the printed cut outs over the pattern pieces will also allow you to make any adjustments to the designs before the embroidery takes place. In this case the Rock In The Grass design, was going to be really small on a pocket flap, so with keyboard lettering the word Rocks was added underneath. The Explore Nature design, and the Chameleon Lizard were just a little too large for the top pockets so they were reduced approximately 10%.

Set up your keyword lettering for the back pocket. This Captain Adventure lettering is in Comics font and is 6 inches wide. The letters are 19.97mm tall. The density was set at .44 and edge walk underlay was used.

Step 4:

Cut out a piece of fabric large enough to cover a pocket pattern piece as well as large enough to extend from the side of your hoop by one inch in each direction. Hoop the fabric and backing - an iron on cut-a-way was used in the sample. Place a dot with the Frixion or other fabric marking pen where you want the embroidery to take place for this pocket.

Step 5:

Place your hoop in the machine and line up your needle with the mark to begin your embroidery. This may or may not be in the center of the hoop. Remember that the pocket top may have a 3/4" turn down at the top of the pocket so you may want to move the embroidery lower than the center of the pattern piece.

Step 6:

Un-hoop the embroidered fabric and place the pattern piece over the embroidery. Cut out the pocket according to the pattern.

Step 7:

Sew the pocket to the garment following the pattern instructions.

Step 8:

If you choose to embroider the flap of a pocket, embroider it too before assembly following instructions 3 and 6. Then sew the flap over the pocket.

Step 9:

You can then complete the vest following the pattern instructions. One thing you might want to consider to add to your vest is a loop sewn under the left pocket.

Cut a strip of fabric 3" tall and 2" wide

Fold both length wide sides into the middle and press

Fold in half lengthwise again and top stitch on both sides

Fold in half and slip under the pocket seam line as the pocket is stitched to the garment

Step 10:

Don't let your fun stop here. To make this vest special for a child add accessories. A magnifying glass with its own quilted case; a small compass with a carabiner, and a map, which was printed from the internet and glued to card stock are added to inspire adventure in your child.

For the love of embroidery...
Pat Williams

Projects You May Like

Meet the Author: Pat Williams

Award winning Digitizer, Embroidery Educator, Author and a Consultant to the Industry, Pat Williams has 30 years of experience in the embroidery industry. Pat has won multiple awards for her digitizing expertise including the 2007 Impressions Awards Grand Championship, Best of Show as well as the 1st and 2nd Place Awards. Pat’s love of digitizing has afforded her the opportunity to write numerous articles for Impressions magazine in the United States and Images Magazine in Europe. In 2001 Pat was named “Embroidery Educator of the Year.” For many years Pat taught digitizing seminars at the ISS Shows in Long Beach, CA and for Compucon software. She now resides in Tucson, AZ.

Child’s Explorer Vest Embroidery Project

PROJECT DETAILS

Project Preview Video

Buy As Patch

CHAMELEON LIZARD

Buy As Patch

TAKE A HIKE

FUTURE HUNTING BUDDY

SO MANY TRAILS

Buy As Patch

TAKE A HIKE

Buy As Patch

EXPLORE NATURE

Buy As Patch

HIKING BOOTS

Buy As Patch

BINOCULARS

Buy As Patch

TAKE A HIKE

Buy As Patch

ROCKS IN THE GRASS